Koyla

At first, I hated this movie. Amrish Puri was so evil he scared me to bits, and Madhuri Dixit's character (Gauri) seemed to be a nitwit. I have always loved seeing Madhuri in intelligent, strong and charming parts (Dil, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dil To Pagal Hai), so seeing her act like a 2-year old was annoying.

And then... Somewhere in the middle, the movie all started to "click", and I really started enjoying it. Shah Rukh Khan put in a fantastic performance which I absolutely loved. He was raw, yet charming; simple yet mysterious; and pulled off his role of deceived mute man who becomes 'enlightened' perfectly. A reviewer here said something about the fact that he could sing in the musical numbers but is supposed to be mute...but that reviewer obviously does not realise that songs are usually a suspension of reality in Bollywood movies. Characters usually can do anything and everything during a musical number! Besides, in most of the songs, it was a trick with Johnny Lever's character that 'enabled' Shah Rukh's character to sing.

Madhuri Dixit's character, Gauri, actually grew up and became much more likable. Madhuri ended up pulling off a fascinating portrayal of a young childish girl who is dragged into maturity by evil. Who wouldn't grow up, anyway, when faced with the terrors of Amrish Puri's "Rajasaheb"? And the relationship between Gauri and Shanker (SRK's character) is really sweet, complex and perfectly captured.

Rajasaheb, though terrifying, irritating, and very over-the-top, now strikes me as a fairly good characterisation. Like another reviewer said on here, a villain that we love to hate is hard to find. (see 'Dushman' starring Kajol, for Ashutosh Rana in a fantastic portrayal of another 'villain you love to hate' - much better than the one in 'Koyla', in my opinion).

I loved the other actors as well, the girl who played Rajasaheb's secretary was particularly good. Johnny Lever (though very silly as usual), the actor who played Lever's father, and Mohnish Behl (in a brief but strikingly tragic appearance)all put in well-rounded and credible performances. Very nice work.

The film is pretty violent and sometimes shocking (one particular attack actually made me physically jump), but I think it was a case of justifiable violence. The director, Rakesh Roshan, was trying to achieve a certain rawness, and he definitely succeeded. It does make you wonder, though, if he was going through some kind of "blood and gore phase" at that point in his film-making career.

All in all, 'Koyla' is very unusual for a Bollywood film, and that, in my opinion, is what makes it worth seeing.I started out hating it and finished it very happy. It is a satisfying and entertaining movie.

Hey People,

I am not usually into Indian movies due to the fact that English is my first language and Bengali is my second. If I ever do watch Indian movies it would be when there are subtitles in them. However a close friend of mines sat down with me and literally translated the movie for me. And boy it was an experience. I was so engrossed in the film. It has its comedy moments and its dramas. I'd really suggest everybody to watch the movie. It may be ultra violent in places but I think the violence is justified as it makes ur more emotionally involved with the characters. Enjoy and e:mail me with what you think.

l8rz

saiful

I feel that this film, while it had potential, failed to live up to expectations. While the first was entertaining, containing romance, drama, and several good songs, the second half dragged considerably. I would warn potential viewers that this film is graphically, and often unnecessarily violent, especially against women. The performances.... Madhuri was good as ever, although she was not given nearly enough to do in the second half, seeming to fulfill a decorative function only. Amrish Puri plays a typical bolly villain with his usual booming voice. Shahrukh plays the cute, mute hero well, however his transition to angry, avenging young man seems too far fetched. on the whole, i would not rate this film as a wonderful or warm movie.

I was forced to see this movie by my college professor. I didn't like the idea of seeing a foreign file with english subtitles and thought it would be boring. I, along with my classmates, was completely wrong. The movie was wonderful. It was truly a heartbreaker and so non-American (if you know what I mean). It's a wonderful movie, see it if you have the chance-you won't regret it.

I remember I saw this movie when it first came out in 1997 it was on TV and my eyes were locked on the screen during the opening credits with the fire all around and heart touching music. It was about 3 hours and I enjoyed every second. The film was so emotional and I loved the story about Raja a sadistic rich old man and has a dumb servant Shankar who gets treated like a dog. One day Raja seen a young village girl Gauri and sent her a photo of Shankar. Gauri liked him and agreed to marry but Raja was in his place during the so called marriage and now she is trapped in his mansion. Shankar felt really sorry for Gauri and after a really bad incident Shankar was provoked, he took Gauri & ran out and that is where the action starts with many unpredictable twists & turns. Koyla was inspired by many action movies including Rambo: First Blood & Hard Target but it doesn't mean that the film is bad. Directed by one of my most favourite directors Rakesh Roshan, his films always took Bollywood to a new level e.g. Koi Mil Gaya was the first Indian sci-fi & Krrish is the first superhero movie. Overall Koyla is a very unforgettable film, it is 10 years old & I still love it.